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#ConnieTerwilliger is an award-winning producer/writer/voice talent. She started her career in visual media at WTIU-TV in Indiana during graduate school at Indiana University. She parlayed her experience there and her degree to become the first female director at a network television station in San Diego in 1977 – directing such programs as “Let There Be Light” and “Keen’s People,” as well as some nightly newscasts when sports was still A/B roll film.

Shortly after that, she opted out of directing to become the first female booth announcer in San Diego and the voice of News 8 through the mid-80s. She didn’t sound like an “announcer,” so the door kept opening and she quickly became one of the busiest female voiceover talents in San Diego. Her part-time work at Channel 8 afforded her time to develop lasting working relationships with other television stations and production companies throughout the county – both as talent and as a producer/writer for commercials and corporate communications.

During this time, she produced and co-produced multiple Emmy Awards ceremonies including the one at the Globe hosted by the stars of Simon and Simon.

For close to a decade, Connie worked in-house at the Hidden Film Factory in the basement of Building 4 at General Dynamics in Kearny Mesa. She wrote, produced and performed as a company spokesperson and voiceover artist for hundreds of live, film and video projects for nearly every division within the company. From Tomahawks, to Abrams tanks, from Atlas rockets to Trident submarines, from F-16s to Standard missiles. During these years, she had the chance to hire many San Diego television freelancers.

After General Dynamics closed their doors in 1994, she went back out free-lancing and rebooted her dormant voiceover career – and was one of the first to adopt the latest technology – the Internet.

While Connie primarily focuses on voiceover work for commercials, corporate marketing and documentaries, she has also recently started writing again.

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The Silver Circle honors individuals who began their careers in television at least 25 years ago either in a performing, creative, technical, or administrative role within the industry, or in an area related to television, such as TV journalism education, advertising, promotion, and public relations.

All candidates must have also made a significant contribution to Pacific Southwest Television for a majority of their 25-year career. Established in 1983, the Silver Circle has nearly 300 members. Only current residents of the chapter are eligible.
?“We’re honored to recognize these talented TV professionals,” says Donn Johnson, President of NATAS-PSW. “Through their personal and professional accomplishments, these inductees have made significant contributions to our chapter and our communities.”

Joe grew up in San Diego and in 1978, went to work in radio as a News Director and DJ in Yuma, Arizona. From there it was stints in Palm Springs and then Bakersfield. In 1986, he made the switch to television… on a dare.

A co-worker at the radio station, where Joe was Program Director, challenged him to try out for a weekend weather/reporter position at KERO-TV. He got the job, but it was when he filled in for a vacationing producer that Joe came into his own. A short time and multiple Golden Mics later, Joe was offered an opportunity to return to his hometown of San Diego as a producer at KGTV, Channel 10. After four years there, Joe moved into newsroom management, working at stations in Des Moines and Las Vegas.

He returned to San Diego and KUSI-TV, in 1998. He has been the Executive Producer there ever since. Joe is a multiple Emmy Award recipient and Golden Mike winner.

A native of Manizales, Colombia, Germán Andrés started his broadcasting career in 1988 at age 14. His first job was as a camera operator assistant to his brother, who worked for a national network newscast in Colombia.

In college, Andrés studied Graphic – Advertising Design, which led in 1996 to a job as an editor for UNC Noticias, a regional news station. Two years later, he migrated to the United States, working in Panther Productions, a Martial Arts Video Company based in San Clemente, CA.

In 2001, he moved to Nevada for a Technical/Graphics Director position at KINC’s Noticias 15 Univision. In 2009, he received his first NATAS-PSW Emmy for a general assignment report, “Se Paga Caro.” He has been nominated five other times throughout his 12 years at Entravision Communications.

In November 2013, Andrés started working as Content and Production Manager for MundoFox Las Vegas. In 2014, he was inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Association “Hall of Fame.”

Andrés oversaw the development and launch of KMCC-DT’s local news. Noticias MundoFox Las Vegas. In 2005, be received two more regional Emmys. He was Emmy nominated two other times, including for Papal arrival coverage, delivered on his iPhone.

In June 2016, Andres started working for KBLR Noticiero Telemundo Las Vegas as News Operations Manager. An ardent soccer fan and player, he loves traveling with his wife and two daughters.

Born and raised in Bloomington, Minnesota, young Paul Rudy was a professional tennis instructor who one afternoon gave a tennis lesson to the News Director at WKOW-TV of Madison Wisconsin. That 30-minute lesson turned into a 32 year television career.

After bluffing his way through an interview, Rudy was hired as a news photographer, but when the video on his first assignment turned out a frightening shade of blue, Rudy was demoted to Sports.

Seven stations and three time zones later, he landed in California, where in the spring of 1998 he turned up at the doorstep of KUSI News in San Diego. In 1999, Rudy suggested expanding the station’s sportscast into what became The Prep Pigskin Report. The one-of-a-kind high school football show has since won seven Emmys and launched dozens of broadcast careers. The “PPR” has become a Friday night staple in San Diego television.

“A lot of stations do sports shows,” Rudy says, “but in my opinion, what we do with PPR is unmatched anywhere in the nation. Every Friday night we turn highlights from 40 local games, throw in countless features, and you have the fastest 65 minutes in television!”

Darcey Gulen is NBC 7 San Diego’s longest tenured employee at 42 years. During this time, she’s shepherded and nurtured more television careers behind the scenes than probably anyone in town.

Gulem started out as secretary to the business manager at the station when it was Storer Broadcasting and Company. Before that, she worked with the San Diego Padres.

The cornerstone of the station, Gulen has been through two station moves, more owner and GM changes than you can count and technology changes from paper to the “cloud.”

“When disaster strikes, she feeds the station, protects the safety of crew and finds a place for us to land when our neighborhoods are evacuated,” says NBC 7 San Diego’s Assistant News Director, Chuck Westerheide, a Silver Circle member. “Her reach goes far beyond the walls of our station.”

Twist of fate? Destiny? Zigged when she should have zagged? Call it what you will… Margaret Radford became a journalist because her sister was too scared to meet the local TV anchorman who was to interview her for the job as evening receptionist. It was a summer job that didn’t pay very much but Margaret needed the job because she was working her way through college. She thought her destiny was to become a mathematician and work in this new industry called computer sciences… instead her summer job turned into a 33-year career.

That first job came at age 19. She was a reporter and co-host of a morning talk show at KTUL-TV 8 in her hometown of Tulsa.

Three years later she left the rolling hills of green country Oklahoma for the sunny skies of southern California.

There, she was part of a bit of television history, as six months after joining the NBC affiliate in San Diego, the station switched affiliation and became the ABC station.

She left Channel 10 in 1989 for a job as morning anchor at KFMB. After three years of getting up before the sun, she moved on to KNSD where she got an evening anchor gig and was able to sleep in for the next 14 years.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Pacific Southwest Chapter (NATAS-PSW) is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Silver Circle, honoring individuals who began their careers in television at least 25 years ago either in a performing, creative, technical, or administrative role within the industry, or in an area related to television, such as TV journalism education, advertising, promotion, and public relations.

The five TV professionals to be inducted to the 2016 Silver Circle include:

German Andres Gonzalez, KBLR

Darcey Gulen, NBC 7

Margaret Radford, Freelance Talent

Joe Riddle, KUSI

Paul Rudy, KUSI

“Each of these individuals has made significant contributions in television behind the scenes or in front of the camera,” says Donn Johnson, President of NATAS-PSW. “We’re proud to recognize their personal and professional accomplishments benefiting our chapter and our communities.”

This year’s Silver Circle will be held Sunday, October 30 at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.

Established in 1983, the Silver Circle has close to 300 members. All candidates must have also made a significant contribution to Pacific Southwest Television for a majority of their 25-year career. Only current residents of the chapter are eligible.

There are no inductees to the Gold Circle, which currently has 25 members and honors those who have contributed most of their 50 year plus television career to our Pacific Southwest Chapter.

This year’s Silver Circle was a success! Seven regional TV and media professionals were inducted into our Silver Circle, honoring individuals who began their careers in television at least 25 years ago either in a performing, creative, technical, or administrative role within the industry, or in an area related to television, such as TV journalism education, advertising, promotion, and public relations.

“We’re honored to celebrate the television accomplishments, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera, of these seven incredible journalists,” says Donn Johnson, President of NATAS-PSW.

Kurt Rivera’s career began inauspiciously 30 years ago as a very young, very part time DJ at an Oldies themed radio station in Stockton.

One late Saturday night, when the song “Mony, Mony” concluded, the 19-year old DJ pronounced to listeners in as deep as a broadcast voice as he could: “That’s Money, Money” by Tommy James and the Shondells. Moments later the phone rang. Kurt answered. It was a listener with a message: “Tell that dumb DJ its ‘Mony, Mony’ NOT “Money, Money!'” The young DJ replied: “He said that! I’ll be sure to tell the DJ and let him know!” Thus, the road to a long career in broadcasting began!

Kurt Rivera

It has now been 28 years in television.

Kurt’s first job was as a photographer and part-time reporter at KESQ-TV in Palm Springs in 1987. Kurt shot the very first live shot for that market. He then was hired as a full-time reporter at KERO-TV in Bakersfield where he worked for five years. Kurt was then hired by the new Fox start-up station WFLD-TV in Chicago as a morning reporter. He followed that up as a morning reporter at WXYZ-TV in Detroit.

To be closer to family, Kurt moved back to Bakersfield in 1999 and became a news anchor for the first time in his career. He still reported, but his main role in his career changed. From KGET-TV, he became a main anchor at KBAK and KBFX-TV in Bakersfield from 2004 through 2015. It’s the longest run at a station Kurt has worked.

Kurt has been honored with several awards over his career including several Emmy Awards, Murrow Awards, including a national Murrow for a series on Meth; Golden Mic’s and AP Awards.

I have always been a sports guy. I got hooked in high school and went to the University of Oklahoma to become a sportscaster. My dad, a lifelong banker, didn’t see a future in that and had me enroll as a journalism and business double major because he was paying the bills.

Charles Westerheide

While writing for the Oklahoma Daily newspaper, I did a profile piece and interviewed Dean Blevins, an Oklahoma City sportscaster. Blevins said they needed sports interns, and I got my shot at KOCO-TV. I learned to write for TV, edit video and create a rundown. On Saturdays and Sundays, I did the sportscasts that played overnight or on our weekend morning show. My boss was Mick Cornett, who is now Oklahoma City’s mayor. Mick told me I was not going to make much in sports, but that I should jump over to news. Mick was right, I jumped to news and moved from editor to AP to producer. I was there for 5 years.

My next job was in Kansas City at WDAF. They were soon switching affiliations from NBC to FOX. I helped start a 9 p.m. newscast. I knew a little bit about a lot of stuff. They needed help with computer systems, live shots and graphics. I produced sports shows, the Oklahoma City bombing and the O.J. Simpson trial coverage. When Senator Bob Dole ran for President, I followed him everywhere. I loaded up a minivan with equipment and drove to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and San Diego. I set up for our political reporter and anchors to fly into town and do live reports.

About the same time, a buddy from KOCO called and said he was starting up a FOX station back in Oklahoma City. I left Kansas City to build a newsroom at KOKH. After about a year, we were on the air and my role switched from builder/fixer to show producer. It was time to move on.

I liked San Diego when I was here for the Republican Convention. I didn’t have a lot of experience on the assignment desk, but things worked out at NBC 7/39. I quickly moved from the desk into management. I’ve been lucky enough to work with great people through tragedies like wildfires, terrorist attacks and kidnappings. I’ve also had the pleasure of being involved with coverage of fun events like the Olympics, Super Bowls and airshows.

San Diego is where I met my wife. We have two smart and beautiful daughters. NBC 7 has introduced me to great friends and co-workers. I’ve worked with, and competed against people who really care about serving the community. San Diego is now home after almost 18 years at NBC 7.